JPH03239664A - Moving body transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide possibility of conducting manual works safely from upon a moving body by furnishing the moving body with a rack stretching in the direction fore and aft, installing a moving body driving device, having a pinion meshing with the rack, in a position external to a certain path, and providing a brake device contacting the moving body in a position downstream this moving body driving device. CONSTITUTION:A moving body (dolly) 1 is positioned as facing a moving body driving device 7 upon a certain path 5, and if this device 7 is operated in the condition that a pinion 32 is meshing with a rack 11 on the moving body 1, a large thrust force is given to the body 1, which is thus transported upon the path 5. At this time the moving body 1 pushes foregoing moving bodies 1 at a standstill, and because a brake device 9 is in effect on the moving body 1 downstream the path 5, this moving body 1 situated downstream receives braking effect and is transported. Thus moving bodies are laid dense between the devices 7 and 9 in serial arrangement. Accordingly the operator on moving bodies 1 can work or walk without risk of falling off.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Field of Application The present invention is used to transport non-driven movable objects along a fixed path, such as a trolley that can travel between floors or a trolley device that can travel on the ceiling. The movable body conveyance device is used for transporting moving objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, in order to transport a non-performing trolley along a fixed route, for example, as seen in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-2865,
A structure in which a hook piece is hung vertically from the bottom of the cart, a check 7 is arranged along a certain path, and pusher protrusions that can be freely engaged with the hook piece are provided at multiple locations on the check 7. is proposed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the conventional system as described above, since the check 7 must be disposed over the entire length of a fixed route, the entire length of this fixed route becomes sll, and there are no hooks on the trolley. The pieces must be attached accurately, and the conveyance pitch of the cart is based on the pitch for attaching the protrusions.
A gap is created between the front and rear ends of these carts, making it impossible to carry them efficiently.

Further, while the cart is being transported, it is dangerous for the operator on the cart to perform various manual operations on the transported object, as the above-mentioned gaps may cause the worker to fall. Furthermore, when stopping the truck by cutting off the drive from the chain side, a special stopper device is required, and the truck that collides with the stopper device moves back a little, making it difficult to stop accurately.
Robots cannot perform automatic work on transported objects.

The purpose of the present invention is that it is only necessary to install it on a part of a fixed path, and the rest can be easily installed, and furthermore, the passive members attached to the movable body do not require much precision. Moreover, to provide a movable body conveyance device that can transport the movable bodies without creating gaps between them, allows manual operations to be performed safely from above the movable bodies, and can stop the movable bodies with high accuracy without using special equipment. At the point.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the movable body conveying device of the present invention has the following features:
A movable body is provided with a front-back rack, and a movable body drive device having a pinion that can freely engage with the rack is provided outside a fixed path along which the movable body can travel, and the position of the movable body drive device is more constant than the position of the movable body drive device. A brake device that contacts the movable body and applies a smaller braking force to the driving force of the movable body drive device is provided on the downstream side of the path.

According to the configuration of the present invention, the movable body is positioned facing the movable body drive device on a fixed path. By operating the movable body drive device with the pinion meshed with the rack of the movable body, a large propulsive force is applied to the movable body, and the movable body is thereby transported on a fixed path. In this case, the movable body backs up the movable body group that is stopped in front of it and conveys it. At the bottom of a certain route,
Since the brake device is acting on the movable body, this lower movable body will be transported while being braked, and therefore the movable body group will be tightly packed without creating a gap between the front and rear ends. Transported with strong support. As described above, since the movable bodies are closely arranged in series between the movable body drive device and the brake device, a worker on the movable body can work or walk without falling. By stopping the movable body drive device, the movable body can be stopped by the engagement between the pinion and the rack.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a cart which is an example of a movable body and can freely run on its body side, and has a plurality of wheels 3 at the bottom of a main body 2 so as to be freely rotatable. This trolley 1 is placed on a pair of left and right rails 4 via wheels 3, and is therefore able to run freely on a fixed route 5. A movable body drive device 6 and a movable body Mflh device 7 for main conveyance are disposed at the starting end of the constant path 5 at appropriate intervals in the direction of the constant path 5, and a Station part lI on the pitch! A brake device 9 is provided at a position slightly higher than the most upstream station drive device 8. In each vehicle 1,
A rack 11 is mounted on the minus side plane via a member 10. This rack 11 is provided along the entire length of the main body 2 with its teeth facing one side. The other side of the main body 2 is formed as an abutment surface 2a. Furthermore, a support device 15 for a body (an example of an object to be transported) 14 is provided upright from above the main body 2 . Details of the movable body drive device 7 will be described below.

The rail 4 is disposed on a base frame 20 via a support frame 21. Then, on one side of the constant path 5, the base frame 20
A pedestal 22 is attached to the top, and a vertical shaft 24 is erected on the pedestal 22 via a stand 23, and a support 26 is attached to the bottom of the vertical shaft 24 via a bearing 25, with the vertical axis 27 centered. It can be attached to swing freely around the body.

A servo motor (an example of a rotary drive device) 28 is disposed on the support base 26, and its drive shaft is operatively connected to a reduction gear l130 on the support base 26 via a coupling 29 or the like. A pinion 32 that can freely mesh with the rack 11 is fixed to an output shaft 31 taken out upward from the speed reducer 30. The output shaft 31 has a set pressure Mfl with respect to the vertical axis 27.
The proximal end of a bracket 34 positioned at a distance t and externally fitted onto the upper part of the bracket 34 via a bearing 33 is integrated with the bearing 25. The stroke-type swing drive device for swinging the support base 26 is, for example, a cylinder device 35, the main body 36 of which is attached to a bracket 37 from the pedestal 22 via a vertical pin 38, and the tip of a piston rod 39. is connected to a connecting member 40 from the support base 26 via a connecting pin 41. A backup device 45 is provided to face the movable body drive device 7 in the left-right direction and to ensure that the rack 11 and the pinion 32 are engaged with each other.

That is, the buffer/yave device 45 supports the support frame 21.
A retaining plate 46 erected from above, horizontal through holes 47 formed at multiple locations on this retaining plate 46, and these through holes 47.
a channel-shaped bracket 49 attached between the inner ends of these rods 48; rollers 51 attached to multiple locations of this bracket 49 via vertical bins 50 for free rotation; and these rollers 51. The retaining plate 46 and the bracket 4 are used to elastically abut the contact surface 2a of the main body 2.
9, and a stopper body 53 provided at the rear end of the rod 48 to restrict the maximum amount of protrusion by the elastic body 52.

The brake device 9 has the same structure as the movable body drive device F7, and the same or almost the same components are given the same reference numerals. The difference is that a torque motor 55 is used instead of the servo motor 28, and the rotation of the pinion 32 in the brake device 9 is reversely rotated in the opposite direction to the feed rotational force A of the pinion 32 in the movable body drive device 7. Further, the feed rotational force A by the servo motor 28 is set to be larger than the reverse feed rotational force B by the torque motor 55. Note that a backup device 56 similar to that described above is disposed opposite the brake device 9 in the left-right direction.

The movable body loading device 6 and each station drive device 8 are equipped with a servo motor (rotary drive device) 60 that is mounted on the base frame 20 and has a built-in speed reducer and a brake device, and its upward output shaft 61. It consists of a pinion 63 attached via a one-way transmission clutch 62.

This binion 63 can be freely engaged with the rack 11,
The one-way transmission clutch 62 is configured to allow the binion 63 to freely rotate in the feed direction when the output shaft 61 is stopped, and to transmit the ms force of the output shaft 61 in the feed direction to the binion 63. Backup devices 64 and 65 similar to those described above are disposed opposite the movable body carrying device 6 and each station drive device 28 in the left and right direction.

As shown in the imaginary line in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 4, a workbench 66 is provided on both sides of the constant path 5 between the movable body drive wave W7 and the brake device 9. This workbench 66
is arranged at the same level as the truck 1.

Next, the transportation work of the trolley 1 in the above embodiment will be explained.

The cart 1 that has been supplied to the starting end of the fixed path 5 is loaded by hand or the like so that its front end enters the movable body loading device 6. At this time, the movable body loading device 6 is not driven, and the rack 11 meshes with the binion 63 when it is loaded, and this binion 63 freely rotates via the one-way transmission clutch y-chiro 2. The contact surface 2a contacts and is guided by the backup device 264.

Then, in response to a request from the downstream side, the servo motor 6G of the movable body loading device 6 is driven, and by forcibly rotating the pinion 63 via the output shaft 61 and the one-way transmission clutch 62, the trolley 1 moves slightly on the fixed path 5. Transported into a movable body!
It is passed to the I+ device 7. At this time, the cylinder device 35 in the movable body drive device 7 is contracted to swing the support base 26 outward around the vertical axis 27, so that the pinion is moved to the second position.
It is moving outward as shown by the imaginary line in the figure. Further, since the amount of protrusion of the backup device 45 is regulated by the stopper 53, the cart 1 can be carried in without any problem. Then, after being carried in, the binion 32 is
The pinion 32 is moved inward and engaged with the rack 11 provided on the main body 2, and then the pinion 32 is driven to rotate. In other words, lI of the servo motor 28! The output shaft 31 is rotated via the reducer 30 etc. by e, and the pinion 32
Forced to rotate in the feed direction. Therefore, binion 32
The feed rotational force A acts on the rack 11 to provide a running force to the cart 1, and thus the cart 1 is transported C on a fixed path 5. The running trolley 1 backs up and transports a group of stopped trolleys in front of it. The amount of feed of the trolley 1 by the movable body drive device 7 is determined by an encoder (not shown).
When the feed lid is detected, the binion 32 is separated from the yoke 11 and the conveyance operation is stopped.

A brake device 9 applies a brake to the truck 1 that has reached the downstream side of the fixed route 5.

That is, when the conveyance operation of the trolley 1 by the movable body drive device 7 is stopped, the cylinder device 35 in the brake device 9 is contracted, and the support base 26 is swung outward around the vertical axis 27. The pinions 32 are spaced outwardly as shown by phantom lines in FIG. Then, in conjunction with the loading movement of the movable body drive device 7, the pinion 3 is moved by a reverse action to that described above.
2 is moved inward and engaged with the rack 11 of the main body 2. At this time, the pinion 32 is moved inside the movable body drive unit W.
It is rotationally driven in the opposite direction to 7. That is, by driving the torque motor 55, the output shaft 3 is
1 is rotated in the opposite direction, forcing the pinion 32 to rotate in the opposite direction. Therefore, when the pinion 32 that is being forcibly rotated is engaged with the rack 11, a propulsive force in the reverse transport direction acts on the cart 1 due to the reverse feed rotational force B. Since it is larger than B, the pinion 32 is rotated E toward the feed rotation side in accordance with the difference, and the load at that time is absorbed by the torque motor 55. As a result, the trolley 1 corresponding to the brake device 9 is transported in a state where the brake is applied, and therefore the movable body drive device 7
Within the effective line length L formed up to this point, a plurality of carts 1 are closely aligned in a backed-up state without creating a gap between their front and rear ends. A flat work space is formed by the group of trolleys arranged in a straight line and the work benches 66 on both sides due to such support, so that the worker can approach the body 14 from the trolley 1 or the work bench 66. Can perform various tasks. At that time, the worker on trolley 1,
Even if one group of carts is being transported, because the one group of carts is tightly arranged in a straight line, the user can work or walk without falling back and forth.

The cart 1 pushed out from the brake device 9 by the above-mentioned push is carried out to the next process, and then sent to the first station section. In this station section, the binion 63 is
rotates idly, and is sequentially conveyed to subsequent processes by the drive of the servo motor 60.

At that time, due to the engagement between the binion 63 and the rack 11,
Transport (feeding) between stations can be carried out precisely at a constant speed, and it can be stopped at a fixed position.

Note that when the movable body drive device 7 is used to convey the object, the braking action by the lower brake device 9 is stopped when the following feed amount is detected.

In the embodiment described above, the rack 11 facing outward is provided on the lower surface of one side of the main body 2, but various forms may be considered, such as, for example, the rack 11 is provided facing downward from the center of the lower surface of the main body 1. Furthermore, a trolley device that can freely travel on the ceiling side may be used as the movable body.

That is, the trolley device consists of a plurality of trolleys that are supported and guided by a pair of left and right ceiling side rails via support rollers and guide rollers, and a main body to which these trolleys are fixed on the upper surface side, and a rack 76 is attached to this main body. Also, a hanger device is provided on the lower side of the main body. A pinion of the movable body drive device can be freely engaged with the rack. This allows the group of trolley devices to be transported by backing, but in this case, when a coupling device is provided between the trolley devices, the group of trolley devices can be pulled tightly together by a movable body drive device installed on the downstream side. can be transported to

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention having the above configuration, after the movable body is positioned facing the movable body drive device on a fixed path, the movable body drive device is operated with the binion meshing with the rack of the movable body. This allows a large propulsion force to be applied to the movable body, thereby allowing the movable body to be transported along a fixed path. At this time, the movable body can back up the movable body group that has stopped in front of it and transport it. As a result, the movable S-shift device only needs to be installed on a part of a certain route, and the complexity can be eliminated for most of the remaining route. In addition, at the lower end of a certain path, the brake device acts on the movable body, so the movable body at this lower position can be transported while being braked, and therefore the group of movable bodies is placed between the front and rear ends. It is possible to efficiently convey the material with tight support without creating any gaps. Since the group of movable bodies can be tightly arranged in series between the movable body WAWb device and the brake device, for example, in the case of a trolley type, workers on the trolley can safely perform manual work and walk without falling. Can be done. Furthermore, when the movable body drive device is not driven, the movable body can be stopped by the engagement between the pinion and the rack, and the movable body can be stopped with high accuracy without using special equipment, and automatic work by robots is also possible. It becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a partially cutaway rear view of the main part, FIGS. 2 and 3 being a plan view of the same, and FIG. 4 being a schematic plan view of the whole. l...Dolly (movable body), 2...main body, 2a...contact surface, 5...fixed path, 6...movable body carrying device,
7... Movable body drive device, 8... Station part drive device, 9... Brake device, 11... Rack, 22
... Frame, 24... Vertical axis, 26... Support stand, 28
...Servo motor (rotary drive device), 30...Reducer, 32...Pinion, 35...Cylinder device (swing drive device), 45...Backup device, 51...
- Roller, 55...torque motor, 62...one-way transmission clutch, 66...workbench, L...effective line length.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A movable body is provided with a front-rear rack, and a movable body drive device having a pinion that can freely engage with the rack is provided outside a fixed path along which the movable body can travel, and from the position of this movable body drive device. A movable body conveyance device characterized in that a brake device is provided on the downstream side of the fixed path to contact the movable body and apply a braking force smaller than the driving force of the movable body drive device.